Half a Flame, Half an Ocean
by Guavi
Summary: To lose the thing that is most precious to you all at once, or to lose it in thirds...if you could choose, which one would it be? UlquiHime. Original by 回眸一笑的冬瓜; Translated and reposted with author's permission.
1. Notes

**Notes**

I did not write this fic. I repeat, I DID NOT WRITE THIS FIC.

So why in the world did I post this on my account? PLEASE read the following before someone runs off to complain to an admin about plagiarism.

This piece of gorgeous, gorgeous fanfiction was written by 回眸一笑的冬瓜, a.k.a. yhykurama, a.k.a. Nnoitora (XDDDD; ). It was first posted on the Chinese Baidu UlquiHime forum and the original was, of course, in Chinese.

And so WITH THE EXPLICITLY EXPRESSED PERMISSION OF THE AUTHOR, I am now doing a translation and posting this on for the enjoyment of another section of the world.

This fic was written a very, very long time ago, so not all facts and such match up to canon. Not that we really care. XDXD;

Here's the assumptions we ask you to please accept before proceeding.

Halibel is ranked below Ulquiorra (actually, I'm pretty sure that it was generally assumed he was number one at that time, which I've tried my best to fix in the translation without taking away from the original story)

The fact that the last name "Schiffer" is German holds zero significance (his last name wasn't even revealed at the time)

And some other things that the translator can't exactly recall right this moment.

This is a long fic, so please be patient as the translator worms her way through it.

The translator took some small liberties and did not translate word-for-word, because many things would sound plain awkward if that was the case.

If you can read Chinese, by all means GO READ THE ORIGINAL. GO NOW.

http :// tieba. baidu. com /f?kz 128365062  
or  
http :// www. ulori. Cn /novel. html

Please leave a review, and I'll be sure to pass on your message! 3 

* * *

**Author's original notes:** ( [ denotes notes from Guavi; some parts and the entire rant on why UlquiHime is great omitted because this translator is lazy XD; ) 

**About the names:**

Information from Baidu; of all the listed Hebrew names, I chose "Aaron" and "Ariel."

Aaron, "enlightened." Aaron is described as a not too tall but handsome man; honest, hardworking, and responsible; a highly efficient and calm leader.

Ariel, "lion of God." Lioness? Goodness no! Ariel is mellow, delicate, beautiful; a princess-like girl, smart but shy.

I thought these two match quite nicely, so, what-the-heck. (Irresponsible XD)

I also made up names for the arrancar that have appeared but still remain nameless.

[two of the made-up names have been changed by the translator to their now-known names to avoid confusion

Strange Old Man: Lldemun Oriente

Halibel's "old friend" OC: Regla

**About the Places:**

Yarmouk River: the largest tributary of the Jordan River, located on the border of Syria and Jordan.

Golan Heights: plateau on the border of Israel, Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan. The Yarmouk River passes through the southern part of this plateau. [Original notes edited by translator for the sake of accuracy

Canaan: Ancient term for a region encompassing present-day Israel, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip. The Promised Land of the Hebrew. [Also edited for accuracy

Medo, Felca, Czenkel: Regions of Hueco Mundo, purely made-up with no significance in name

**Zanpakutou:**

I'll call Ulqui's zanpakutou "Mar Rojo," Red Sea, in memory of a scene from _The Prince of Egypt_. XDDD [also important to plot developments. You'll see.

Ch. 12 BGM: Red Sea (Stephen Schwartz / The Prince of Egypt: Music from the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) XDD

**Kidou: **

Let's pretend hadou 88 exists, and is called akahonoo, "red flame"

[the rest is the author's own notes about UlquiHime which spammed two pages and I am WAY too lazy to even attempt to translate.


	2. 1

_In front of them, fire rained down from the heavens as the sea split in two._

_Behind them, Ramses' army pursues._

_The world presented to the disheartened Hebrews lies under a murky sky;_

_Her world: half endless oceans, half blazing flames._

* * *

In the depths of the palace, the brunette man's affable voice was calm. "Very good, Ulquiorra."

The black-haired youth kneels, one knee upon the cold marble floors. "Thank you, Aizen-sama."

Aizen Sousuke watched the young man's pale white shadow cast over the black stones; his cheek rested on his hand, his face wearing that too-warm pseudo-smile. "No matter what the mission is, you have never disappointed me."

A sudden change of topic. "One year…it will probably be a shame that someone so capable as you will leave me, Ulquiorra."

The young man below his towering thrown remained impassive, his stance reverent, his voice even. "We have settled our terms in the beginning, Aizen-sama."

Aizen laughed. "Looks like Menos and Shinigami are the same, both such proud beings…especially the finest." Whether he was musing to himself, or talking to the other one present; it was difficult to tell. He lowered his head in thought and continued, once again on a different track. "Ulquiorra, how long have you been a vasto lorde?"

"I can't recall."

"Have you ever…met your match?"

"Not yet."

"As for this world that you exist in…do you like it?"

"No. It is meaningless."

"Then, merging the three worlds to create a brand new one…what do you think of that?"

"My answer remains the same, Aizen-sama."

Aizen shifted in his seat, and nods.

"You may leave, Ulquiorra."

"Yes, Aizen-sama."

xxxxx

"Ya really love ta entertain yerself with yer subordinates, don'tcha?" As soon as the arrancar had disappeared beyond the door, a man came strolling out from behind some hidden portion of the room.

Aizen turned to his second, seemingly still immersed in the amusement of his previous conversation. "One year, Gin. In Soul Society, how much change can one year's time bring to such a somnolent world?"

Gin's eyes squinted into thinner lines. "We ain't in that world anymore."

"What do you think of the Espada right now?"

"By the time we really need'em…pro'bly only two or three will actually be useful."

"Oh? You make it sound like I've been creating cannon fodder with the hougyouku."

"Nope, at least that one just now pro'bly won't be…"

Aizen smiles, and said no more.

He has never doubted the capabilities of this vasto lorde.

Ulquiorra had been among the menos Aizen struck his deal with, back when he first formed his alliance with the inhabitants of Hueco Mundo. In a crowd of gillians and adjuchas he stood out far too much, both in reiatsu and appearance. He looked almost human-like but covered in chalk-white bone, with a pair of emerald eyes glowering from beneath the mask.

Both sides had reached satisfactory conditions in their contract. Aizen Sousuke will use the hougyouku to perform shinigamification on the menos, and the successfully born arrancar will follow his command for one year.

One year. It really is only a brief moment compared to the vast expanse of time both Hueco Mundo and Soul Society had already faced.

But put into the hands of Aizen Sousuke…

The brunette man closed his eyes.

Even if it's only a moment, it is still enough time for him to forever change the course of this stagnant history.


	3. 2

He walked silently among the towering pillars. A thin light pierced through the halls, drawing plaids of light and dark on the floor.

Suddenly a whistle came from behind. Ulquiorra turns, to find two uninvited guests occupying the stone railing of the hallway.

The sitting one possessed dark skin and extremely well-defined curves, while the one standing appears old and withered in his floor-length robe.

Two other Espada: Halibel and Lldemum.

Ulquiorra ceased his footsteps and turned his quiet gaze upon the two, as if waiting for them to break the silence first. After about half a minute…

"Looks like Aizen-sama thinks quite highly of you, Ulquiorra." The blond woman crossed her arms and leaned against a stone column, her smile filled with just a drop of mockery.

The look he returned was aloof and vaguely condescending. "What do you want."

"We heard the great Ulquiorra-sama had beautifully completed his mission and we, as comrades, came to give our congratulations. Is that so very wrong?"

The remark was overflowing with sarcasm, but the young man gave it no acknowledgement. "I didn't think there was such an efficient grapevine in Hueco Mundo."

"You don't say, it's a small world. We know not only the results, but the measly details…then again, even if you got permission from Aizen-sama, you should still watch your steps. Goodness forbid if something goes wrong…an accident, perhaps…such responsibilities. Can you hold accountability for that, Ulquiorra?"

"Since I chose to carry this out, the possibility of 'accidents' does not exist."

"Hm. Confident, aren't we?"

"How I decide to complete my missions is no one else's business." He threw out the frigid response as his deathly white presence was lost among the darkness of the halls.

Halibel's gaze, so perfectly hidden by the shadows cast by the dimly lit hallway, remained fixed toward the direction Ulquiorra had disappeared to.

_Well, well._

_Who would have expected Aizen to become so intrigued by_ that_ human woman, so much that he would send_ you_ to bring her back here…_

_Such an unexpected turn of events. Is it a coincident? Or…_

_Either way, this is a one-in-a-million opportunity._

_I have waited for four centuries; now the chance has finally come._

_I can't wait to see that stone face of yours being taken over by emotions, Ulquiorra Schiffer._


	4. Not Negotiation

**Not Negotiation**

_An Interlude of Sorts_

* * *

xxxxx

_Aaron, descendent of those who followed Moses to their Promised Land, violated the Commandments._

xxxxx_  
_

One month ago, in this shadow-infested room bearing a mockery of a throne, Ulquiorra received his secret orders from Aizen Sousuke.

He calmly said, yes. One single word that declared and promised: any mission will be completely perfectly.

The seemingly young man exited the gloomy palace, step by step, without a trace of haste. He will, like the daemon-infested night, be bringing destruction somewhere today.

As one of the strongest vasto lordes of Hueco Mundo, Ulquiorra cannot recall his past.

xxxxx

_In the name of the Lord,_

_Aaron and his wife were brought in front of Him_

_The Almighty looked upon his children, and said_

"_You are among the descendants of those whom I have spoken to atop Mount Sinai_

_You should have obeyed the Commandments of your ancestors and your God_

_You have taken the name of the Lord your God in vain, and the Lord will not hold him guiltless who take His name in vain."_

_Aaron mocked God. He had sinned._

_And so God said, "The man shall drift West, and his soul shall be tainted; the woman shall go East, and she shall receive salvation."_

_Aaron and his wife would not part._

_God said, "Those who disobey me shall have their souls taken."_

_Aaron's wife loves her husband; she said, "find me." She then took the glass shards on her jewelry; shattered it, slashed it across her own throat, and died._

_Aaron loves his wife; he held her lifeless body and wailed. He then swore upon hair the color of sunset, "I will find you."_

_And God spoke_

"_Your wife shall keep her soul, but you shall not find her."_

_Aaron would not relent._

_So He said, "Fade, these eyes that dare take the blue of purity, and be dyed with malignant green_

_He also said, "This hair, it should not be saintly gold, but the black of sin_

_And your wife_

_Her soul shall forget you_

_So that even if you should meet again, she would not know you."_

_Aaron mocked the Almighty once more: he says he will find his wife._

_He swore upon her sunset-colored hair._

_God told Aaron he had three chances, and for each chance he shall have a quarter of an hour_

_If he cannot retake his wife within these three chances,_

_His soul will fall._

xxxxx_  
_

To lose the most precious thing to you all at once, or to lose it in thirds.

If you could choose, which one would it be?

This was the kind of meaningless dilemmas only humans would bother to put themselves into. Ulquiorra had never pondered it.

xxxxx_  
_

_God said to Aaron, "If you cannot find her, you shall lose your humanity after the third attempt_

"_After that you shall fall to the deepest abyss of the Worlds, and you shall forget your wife._

"_She shall receive salvation from Me, and you shall never retake her again."_

_Lastly, God said from his seat among the clouds,_

"_At the End of Time you shall meet, and neither shall remember the other."_

xxxxx_  
_

The process of corruption, from a fallen soul to a vasto lorde; Ulquiorra had forgotten it long ago.

That chalk-white mask had already touched a river of crimson blood.

Yet he specifically chose not to kill humans that had hair of a certain unique color.

xxxxx

_In Libya, in Egypt,_

_Aaron lost two of his precious chances; only a third of the memories of his wife remained._

_Another three hundred years passed._

_In Assyria, a princess with hair the color of sunset was born._

_Across the Red Sea, across the desert_

_Aaron had come to retake his wife._

_He knows she cannot recognize him. Of the quarter-hour God had allotted, there was only moments left._

_He extended his hand to her, and said, bluntly,_

"_Come with me, woman."_

_Sunset-haired princess dropped the wreath of flowers in her hand. Drawn by a force she did not understand, she ran towards the empty space Aaron's spirit occupied._

_A measly few steps away_

_God took away Aaron's voice and commanded the princess to stop. He had just instants more; in haste he sold his soul to reveal himself._

_The princess saw him, and extended her hand toward his._

_God saw this. Before the woman's hand could pass through the separating air and touch Aaron's offered one, she tripped over a fragaria plant._

_She fell._

_ And the time was up.  
_

_Aaron lost his wife and now his soul._

_ He fell,  
into the deepest abyss of the Worlds.  
_

xxxxx_  
_

As a vasto lorde, Ulquiorra knew not of the idiotic fantasies and legends of humans.

Now, he merely stood in Hueco Mundo's darkness and silently reviewed the things he still needed to do.

xxxxx_  
_

_God said,_

"_At the End of Time you shall meet, and neither shall remember the other."_

xxxxx_  
_

The portal to another world opened.

The black-haired hollow saw the sunset-haired girl standing in front of him, staring right at him. Shocked, frightened.

Ulquiorra had always taken care of things without haste. It is not in his nature to rush, especially when he had things to say.

It's the same this time. And he was bothered; just slightly.

He cannot recall when he had fallen into this habit.

He said, calmly, "Come with me, woman."

The memory remained no longer, but the threads of sound are still the same.

xxxxx

* * *

Note: …I am a complete IDIOT. I thought this "prelude" was incorporated into the fic itself. Turns out it wasn't. SORRY. So now I'm inserting it after chapter two since this is the place where it would make the most sense. 

Fragaria is the genus name for the many species of plants that the laymen collectively call strawberries. (The original author inserted self-bricking here.) It was written in the untranslated fic as a phonic translation of the English word "strawberry" into Chinese, so that it holds a significant meaning, but completely unrecognizable in order to not spoil the mood with a big fat WTF. And since I can't just put "strawberry" in there without completely ruining the atmosphere…I replaced it with the plant's genus name to retain the author's intentions.

Must I remind you to review? Even if I did not write this. :3


	5. 3

Note: This fic was written before Ichigo and co had invaded Hueco Mundo (I think) (yeah, that's a REALLY long time ago), hence you will notice the difference in details here from canon.

* * *

Every night, after the Rikka fairies had settled down for sleep, Orihime would lean against her table and stare into empty space the way she used to do at school, occasionally sighing at that tiny sliver of light that leeks from the blinding white halls outside through the crack of her door.

She's been brought from the Real World to this sunless lightless _lifeless_ place for about a month now.

Over there, it should be…almost winter now…

Speaking of which, Orihime remembered the message Rangiku-san and Hitsugaya-kun had managed to receive from that strange blobbity purple monitor-_thing_.

"…The final battle will be in winter!" Yamamoto-soutaichou's voice had said.

Winter…

Wonder how everyone's doing.

Have they become stronger?

Ishida-kun, Sado-kun, Kuchiki-san, and

Kurosaki-kun…

Small fists met cranium as Orihime shook her head.

No insecurities! Kurosaki-kun's been working so hard, of course he had gotten stronger! Everyone…everyone's training to become stronger, too, right? So that only leaves herself…being brought to this strange place and isolated from everyone else.

Hadn't she decided to not follow behind Kurosaki-kun anymore, to not be protected anymore, and fight side-by-side with him instead? She sighed once more and let her body collapse, sprawling across the table by the window.

Is she being self-critical again? Or just wallowing in self-pity?

Another look around the room.

Actually…this place wasn't as scary as she thought it would be. Back when she had first stepped through the space-portal, she had actually thought they would kill her immediately!

Orihime was puzzled by the fact that those Arrancar would bring her here and not do anything with her afterwards.

Her terror had changed into the sensation of perfect norm in two short months.

People can get used to the strangest things.

She was put into this huge room, given three decent meals a day, and magically had not been mistreated. And that fabled "Aizen-sama"…she'd only seen once, when she first got here.

The brunette man had sat high above in his thrown. His voice had sounded so…gentle.

"Welcome, Orihime. I hope you can be my guest for a while. You will not receive any restrictions on your freedoms, and you are more than welcome to maintain your living habits from the Real World. In my domain you are a guest and will be treated as such; please feel at home."

And so she still has no idea why she was brought here.

Is her life really in danger?

Even after coming here, Orihime had not stopped practicing her Shun Shun Rikka's powers. In secret, of course.

But whether or not she can go back to that light-filled world at this point remains unknown.

What if she really can't go back…

She's already given Rangiku-san and Hitsugaya-kun the instructions for all the chores; she's had the time to say goodbye to the person she really wanted to see and even got the chance to heal Kurosaki-kun's wounds.

There are…pretty much no regrets.

Pretty much.

In the end…she still couldn't kiss him.

Suddenly finding her thoughts to be just a bit shameful, Orihime decided to stop thinking about Kurosaki-kun.

So this time she thought about Tatsuki-chan. Wonder how Tatsuki-chan's doing? Orihime had wanted to invite her best friend to go try that fun-looking creampuffs-with-rice…And she had wanted to ask, why was Tatsuki-chan looking so lifeless, did something happen…

_It's been so long, would Tatsuki-chan even miss me, the way I am missing her?_

_Would they miss me?_

Or perhaps her friends have already forgotten about her? Specifically, like she had been erased. Orihime remembered that foreign movie she had see a long time ago, and at the same time outlandish thoughts like those of a super-heroine with an unrealistically buff male sidekick wielding futuristic weapons to wage action and adventures in outer space began to permeate her mind.

Inoue Orihime was one such strange girl.

When something bad happens she would get sad, too, but only let herself be sad a little. Maybe she's optimistic or just a tad bit not right in the head, but this slip of a girl was much stronger than her delicate appearance can suggest.

She turned her face upward again and let the moonlight fall on the tip of her nose. Her body sneezed in reaction. Just like if it had been hit by a ray of bright light.

The tiny sound echoed in the empty space, once, then slowly dispersed.

Orihime suddenly realized: this place, it really is lonely…

This is indeed a forlorn world.

Orihime had been in Hueco Mundo for some time now, but only really saw those "Arrancar" on one occasion.

Because they let her go where she pleased, plus the curiosity caused by coming to somewhere new, Orihime had went on a Hueco Mundo "expedition" during her first two weeks here. And it was when she had been wandering around aimlessly in those labyrinthine halls that she ran straight into them.

Her first reaction was panic.

When there was no one around she'd wanted somebody, anybody to be there; but once someone really did show up she gets freaked out. Huh.

She thought her own response was rather hilarious, but facing those suffocating white walls the laughter would not come.

When the others saw her, they stopped as well.

It had been less than a moment's time, although somehow Orihime instantly recognized the grim-faced young man that had brought her here among the four others.

Not that it's too hard with those Arrancar. But still.

Except he was not looking at her. His pale face contained no expressions to speak of, as if he had forgotten there was such a person named Orihime.

The one who actually spoke to her was a strange woman that Orihime had never seen before. That woman was dark-skinned and donned a ridiculously revealing white top. She had asked, "So you are that human Aizen-sama had ordered Ulquiorra to bring back here?"

As she spoke the woman leaned slightly forward, her wispy hair dangling before her face, those beautiful green eyes seemingly smiling.

Orihime stared at her blankly and offered neither confirmation nor repudiation.

The woman seemed not to mind the reaction, or rather the lack thereof, but instead extended her hand toward the girl against expectations. "I'm Halibel, Espada."

"Inoue…Orihime," completely involuntarily…Orihime extended her hand as well, and shook.

An ice-cold touch.

Letting go of the girl's hand, Halibel picked up a lock of hair scattered at Orihime's shoulder. "This is truly a beautiful color…" As she spoke she turned to her companions. "Isn't that right, Ulquiorra?"

Orihime followed the woman's gaze to the one who had forced her to come here, only to find that he seemed to not have heard what Halibel said, his face evermore the unchanging constant.

"Stop wasting time."

Ulquiorra only gave that one sentence as his silent footsteps glided past Orihime.

Halibel smiled, and along with the other two followed the black-haired Arrancar on their way.

And so ended the only contact Orihime had had with those Arrancar.

Now, the girl reminisced over the Arrancar named Halibel once more.

She had skin dark like Yoruichi-san, pale hair that stood in stark contrast with it; very pretty green eyes that somehow seemed to raise the hair on the back of her neck if she stared at them for too long.

Orihime had intended to "assess her enemies," but her thoughts just can't stop turning in increasingly odd directions.

And so the conclusion she muttered was: _That sword on her back, it has a very nice shape…_

"The hell are you mumbling there by yourself for?"

A voice suddenly came from behind. She sat up with a start, her back snapping straight almost audibly.

She turned to see someone's shadow standing in her doorway.

The next moment, she was pushed toward the floor by a smothering reiatsu.

With an incredible effort, Orihime managed to support herself with the wall and not crumple into the ground. She felt her left arm being grabbed by someone.

A painful touch.

Her visitor's frightening voice reached her ears right then.

"Oi, woman,

"Do me a favor."

* * *

That…took a while. XD;

If you are going to drop an anonymous review, leave your email please so I can get back to you! I do reply to every single review that I can, unless Yahoo was being stupid and buried the alert.


	6. 4

Before someone yells at me for leaving a cliffie then promptly moving away from that in the next chapter, I would like to say that this was the format I got the story in. Deal with it. :3

* * *

To the casual observer, whenever he had nothing better to do Ulquiorra would close his eyes and tacitly ponder. Just like now.

As to what this Vasto Lorde could possibly think about, no one knew. Perhaps he doesn't think at all, but simply stands there for the sake of holding a cool pose to fool people with.

Although even if he really were musing over something, it would just be for killing time and would not hold any meaning.

A desolate sheet of light dripped from a window somewhere, casting unidentifiable shapes through his barely-open lids.

In this dog-eat-dog world…

The other Arrancar around Ulquiorra all have their own little groups, such as Halibel and Lldemum, who have known each other since they were adjuchas; and the was-once gang of Grimmjow, Yylfordt, and co. Ulquiorra had never particularly bothered to keep his distance from those assemblages, but neither did he actively approach them.

On the contrary, it seems that all of his so-called "comrades" kept their distance from _him_, though of course there were exceptions to every rule.

That heavy-built one they call Yami was the thirteenth to undergo shinigamification. The rather pathetic adjuchas had just been lucky enough with just that teeny bit of enough power to squeeze into the bottom of the Espada ranks. Afterwards Yami had ceased all associations with the ones that used to be of his league, however the higher-leveled adjuchas still would not recognize him.

And so this strange partnership between Ulquiorra and Yami was formed. Simply because Ulquiorra could not be bothered to tell the brainless hunk of meat to get lost. Yami, of course, took that as an affirmative and since then have taken to following Ulquiorra around.

Or perhaps…right now, to the casual observer, they have already become their own "group"…

Ulquiorra mulled over this nonchalantly, faintly mocking of these meaningless categorizations.

And yet, among these groups there was one Arrancar that Ulquiorra simply could not pretend belonged to part of the wall fixtures and walk idly by.

Halibel.

Up until now the only Arrancar of the female variety.

Of course the thing that got her into the Espada's ranks was not her voluminous curves but her sheer power. Ulquiorra quite vividly remembers the sight of Grimmjow being trapped by her, caught motionless between countless bone-white blades.

Speaking of which, both Grimmjow and Halibel seemed to hold some mysterious grudge against Ulquiorra. It's just that, compared with the blatant provocations of the former, Halibel's methods were much more devious.

_---- You know, Ulquiorra, given your capabilities you shouldn't possess this habit that can be considered…a weakness._

_---- Habit? I would rather call it a coincidence._

_---- Now that would just be unreasonable. It's obvious that you have noticed yourself, yet you seem to accept that abnormality and don't plan on correcting it._

_You have killed far too many, Ulquiorra, yet you almost never take the life of humans with a certain special characteristic, especially…the females._

_---- Apart from the souls of infants, I did not know you were interested in statistics too, Halibel._

_---- Hah, I am only reminding you as a caring comrade._

_---- I don't believe I need such reminders._

_---- Is that so…well, when the time comes, you will understand._

Ulquiorra did not know what this woman was trying to sell to him, but he had never planned to delve into the matter.

Either way, it would be meaningless.

It's just that recently, the female Arrancar had increased the frequency of showing up to dangle nonsensical words in front of him. It could be just him, but this "recently" seem to lay right around the time that human woman had came here…

Undeniably, Ulquiorra had lost a large chunk of his memories from before he became a Gillian. But this had never affected his life in Hueco Mundo.

This endless and meaningless life…

He lives, only because he does not yet wish to be killed.

And so Ulquiorra would not waste any attention on Halibel's chattering.

Those laughable, baseless allegations.

It could not possibly be a habit. Only a coincidence.

At times it would be that he had lost his interest, at times because he did not wish to waste more time, and other times…he did not really know why.

Just a coincidence. Nothing more.

Like this time, after he had received the promise from that human woman, he gave her twelve hours of grace to say farewell to one single person.

Such matters held no meanings in themselves. Therefore he took no losses.

Why did he do that? Ulquiorra himself did not know. Spur of the moment.

Maybe it was because since she was so obedient after seeing her friends' miserable states, and the mission had gone on so successfully, he had decided to reward her. Really, Ulquiorra disliked being faced with a teary, down-in-the-dumps scene. Especially when the other was a fragile woman like that.

As to the fact that the woman's hair just happened to be that brilliant sunset color…could Halibel's conjectures be correct?

Impossible.

Indeed, this idiosyncrasy, hell knows when it was developed, is meaningless as well.

At last, he concludes, his actions that day were the equivalent of rewarding a compliant child with candy.

Just that.

Through a rip in the night sky he saw her go to that orange-head Shinigami's house to say goodbye to him.

A bunch of very ordinary human behaviors.

Then she had wanted to kiss that orange-head, but suddenly stopped half-way and began to cry.

Ulquiorra could not understand.

The event was laughable at best, and also meaningless.

After all, the days when he was still human belong to ancient times long passed and gone, a period that…he cannot recall at all.

"_When the time comes, you will understand."_

It was only the way Halibel spoke, the tone that declared she knew everything yet is playing mysterious simply in the hopes of seeing him squirm, that Ulquiorra disliked very much.

From the beginning until now Ulquiorra had not believed the human woman would be that helpful to Aizen's plans, even if she did possess unusual powers. From his perspective those healer-type tricks are not nearly as useful and effective as the Menos' flashy abilities. But Aizen had wanted it done, so he brought the woman back undamaged. After all he did agree to serve that man's wishes for one year.

So next time, if that Halibel came by to chatter, he could just find a way to make her shut up for good.

But then, again…

Ulquiorra could not help but remember that human woman showing her gratitude back in the pathway between the worlds.

That…would be called gratitude, right? After he gave her the twelve-hour grace period, he heard her murmur softly, "ありがとう、アランカルさん。"

At that sort of time, under that sort of situations, she would actually thank him.

Should he praise her unbeatably good manners or insult her ignorance of the circumstances?

Such a…strange woman.

And Ulquiorra admits, what Halibel said once was true.

That human woman's hair. That unusual color really is quite beautiful.

The black-haired Arrancar leaned against the windowsills, just like that, too indifferent to pay attention to any passerby.

Suddenly the forest-green eyes flashed open as Ulquiorra stood up.

He felt it: a summons, from Aizen Sousuke's reiatsu.


End file.
